Squeeze mop



Feb. 8, 1966 c. SCHEFFOLD SQUEEZE MOP Filed Sept. 21, 1964 INVENTOR.

614 24 JCAAV'WOLD United States Patent 3,233,269 SQUEEZE MOPC'1R'll1fi0ld, 506 72nd St., Brooklyn 9, NY. Filed Sept. 21, 1964, Ser.No. 397,916 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-419) My invention is directed toward newand improved squeeze mops.

It is an object of my invention to provide a new and improved squeezemop wherein the squeezing action is enhanced by the use of rollersindividually spaced from each other along a circular path.

Another object is to provide a new and improved mop of the characterindicated in which the rollers are balls.

Still another object is to provide a new and improved mop of thecharacter indicated which can be manufactured easily and inexpensively.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of myinvention will now be explained with reference both to thisspecification and to the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of one form of my invention shownpartially in cross section;

FIGURE 2 is a similar view showing an alternative position;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional side view of a first modification of myinvention;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing a second modificationof my invention;

FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view taken along 55 in FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing a third modificationof my invention.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is shown a hemisphericallyshaped hollow housing 10 open at the bottom, the top of housing 10having an opening 12 communicating with the lower end of a hollowinclined tube 14 terminating at its upper end at a handle 16. A linkageor wire 13 extends from its top end outside tube 14 and adjacent handle16 down into and through the tube and housing and through the center ofa two layered sponge sheet 20 to a disc 22 at the bottom side of sheet20. The wire 18 includes a knob 18a at its outer end, and the said wirepasses through a hook guide 18b mounted on the tube 14, whereby the wire18 is prevented from being pulled or fastened into the tube 14, becausethe knob 118d cannot pass through the hook 18b. A circular horizontalloop of wire 2 is secured to and extends around the inner periphery ofhousing 10 adjacent but above the normal position of sheet 20. Aplurality of spaced apart metal balls 26 are mounted on wire 24 and areeach rotatable therearound.

The mop is used in conventional manner. When sheet 20 has becomeimpregnated with water, the mop is held over a pail and linkage 18 ispulled up compressing sheet 20 against balls 26 which rotate and act asrollers to squeeze the water out.

FIGURE 3 shows a modification wherein the sponge is in the form of asolid single layer disc 40 covered by an upper circular plate 42 offlexible rubber or other material.

In FIGURES 4 and 5, the periphery of the sponge disc 40' is positionedoutside of the wall housing 10, since the diameter of the disc is largerthan the diameter of housing 1 diameter of the disc is larger than thediameter of In FIGURE 6, plate 42 is used but the sponge takes the formof a sheet 46 which defines a hollow body in which plate 42' isenclosed. Plate 42 is secured to wire 18 which is also embedded in thesponge 46, whereby an upward pull on wire 18 will cause the plate 42' toforce the sponge between the rollers 26, and thereby provide a squeezingwringing action eliminating the water from the sponge.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to thedrawings, my protection is to be limited only by the terms of the claimswhich follow.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1, A squeeze mop comprising a hollow hemispherical housing open at thetop and having an enlarged mop head enclosure at the bottom, a hollowtube extending upwards from the top of the housing and in communicationtherewith, a handle at the top end of said tube, a sponge positionedbelow the mop enclosure at the bottom of the housing and adapted to bepulled into the said hemispherical housing, a linkage connected at oneend to the said sponge and extending upward therefrom through the opentop "of said housing, and a portion of said tube to a point external ofsaid tube, cooperative means on said linkage and tube for retaining aportion of the linkage outwardly of said tube for pulling purposes, aplurality of annularly positioned rollers for squeezing said spongebeing rotatably mounted on an annular wire secured within the housing,wherein said Wire lies in a substantially horizontal plane in themopping position and is adapted to receive therethrough the said sponge,said sponge having a lateral dimension which is greater than the insidediameter of the rollers, whereby the sponge will be forced between thesaid rollers in a squeezing action upon an upward pull upon the saidwire.

2. A mop as set forth in claim I, wherein each of said rollers is ametal ball rotatably mounted on the said wire.

3. A mop as in claim 2, including a plate attached to the sponge on thetop thereof, and of slightly stiffer material adapted to be easilypulled past the rollers wherein the said plate will contact the rollers,causing the plate to bend and exert squeezing pressure on the saidsponge.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,521,445 9/1950Brown l5-119 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,220,500 I/ 1960 France.

13,540 6/ 1904 Great Britain.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner.

1. A SQUEEZE MOP COMPRISING A HOLLOW HEMISPHERICAL HOUSING OPEN AT THETOP AND HAVING AN ENLARGED MOP HEAD ENCLOSURE AT THE BOTTOM, A HOLLOWTUBE EXTENDING UPWARDS FROM THE TOP OF THE HOUSING AND IN COMMUNICATIONTHEREWITH, A HANDLE AT THE TOP END OF SAID TUBE, A SPONGE POSITIONEDBELOW THE MOP ENCLOSURE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HOUSING AND ADAPTED TO BEPULLED INTO THE SAID HEMISPHERICAL HOUSING, A LINKAGE CONNECTED AT ONEEND TO THE SAID SPONGE AND EXTENDING UPWARD THEREFROM THROUGH THE OPENTOP OF SAID HOUSING, AND A PORTION OF SAID TUBE TO A POINT EXTERNAL OFSAID TUBE, COOPERATIVE MEANS ON SAID LINKAGE AND TUBE FOR RETAINING APORTION OF THE LINKAGE OUTWARDLY OF SAID TUBE FOR PULLING PURPOSES, APLURALITY OF ANNULARLY POSITIONED ROLLERS FOR SQUEEZING SAID SPONGEBEING ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON AN ANNULAR WIRE SECURED WITHIN THE HOUSING,WHEREIN SAID WIRE LIES IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE IN THEMOPPING POSITION AND IS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THERETHROUGH THE SAID SPONGE,SAID SPONGE HAVING A LATERAL DIMENSION WHICH IS GREATER THAN THE INSIDEDIAMETER OF THE ROLLERS, WHEREBY THE SPONGE WILL BE FORCED BETWEEN THESAID ROLLERS IN A SQUEEZING ACTION UPON AN UPWARD PULL UPON THE SAIDWIRE.